Our Interpretations

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The Self
Part 19 - Our Interpretations

We see what we want to see

Hermann Rorschach carried out tests where people were shown random inkblots. From these images people saw all kinds of different shapes and objects.

We hear what we want to hear

An example of this is the ‘cocktail party effect’ where despite noises coming from everywhere we can filter out the noises we don’t want – and focus on the sounds we do want. We are especially good at listening for our own name being called out.

We seek out information that fits with our values and beliefs, and discard the rest

An example of this is confirmation bias theory, which suggests that we all tend to be a “yes man” or a “creep” to ourselves: we would rather avoid being wrong than be open to new ideas or be open to the fact we could be wrong.

We make up our own stories

Everyone has a story to tell. It’s neither here nor there how strictly factual it is.

We make up our own reality

If we didn’t make up our own reality, which reality would we choose, given that everyone else has a different reality from the next person?
If two people were to paint the same face, they would interpret it in different ways.

We make up our own truth

If we followed other people’s truth as well as our own, we’d still have our version of the other person’s truth.

We need to prove ourselves right

We get out of bed and stub our toe. We charge down the stairs with a groan. “What is up with you?” someone asks.
You reply: “I’ve got out of bed on the wrong side.”

From there on, once you’ve decided that the day is going to be a write-off, you will prove yourself right. You’re going to have a miserable day – no matter what.
The journey to where you want to go is going to be awful… so it is awful. The people you meet are going to irritate you… so they do irritate you (just like you thought they would). You are now going to find other reasons to be bored and restless and have things go wrong for you. You are going to jeopardise your day because you have to prove yourself right. You’re going to cut your nose off to spite your face!

Any good experience you have is either blocked out of your head or dismissed as minor, because if you did accept it as a good experience you will have proved yourself wrong – and for some reason this seems to be a big deal to us humans.

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